13 South Hadley residents tapped for new town administrator search committee

Sarah Etelman, James Provost, Linda Young, Nicholas Young, Jeffrey Cyr and Carol Constant, clockwise from top left, are six of the 13 South Hadley residents named to a search committee for a new town administrator.

SOUTH HADLEY – The Selectboard on Tuesday appointed 13 South Hadley residents to the Town Administrator Search Committee, and plans to have a permanent Town Administrator by the middle of March.

Acting Town Administrator Jennifer Wolowicz has filled the position ever since Paul Beecher resigned abruptly in January.

Since then, the Selectboard and the Financial Policy Advisory Team have worked on re-defining the job to increase the responsibilities, authority and accountability of the Town Administrator.

The Collins Center, a consulting service based at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, was hired to help with the definition and to shepherd it through the state legislature and into the bylaws of the town.

Town Meeting approved the changes in December, and the new definition is expected to appear in the bylaws by spring.

At the Tuesday meeting, several of the new Search Committee members rose to introduce themselves and explain why they applied.

“South Hadley is at such a critical juncture right now,” said member Linda Young. “We have to get this right.”

Committee member Judith Dobosh said serving on the master plan implementation committee had given her a “deep understanding of how important this position is.”

The makeup of the committee ranges from longtime residents who have been very active in town government to newcomers who moved to South Hadley only months ago.

Peter Webster has only been in town for six months, but revealed that he has a depth of firsthand experience with what’s needed to lead a town. He served as Town Manager for three different towns in Vermont.